ai4bharat/Pralekha huggingface dataset:
Vice President's Secretariat
Vice President greets the nation on the eve of Buddha Purnima
The Vice President, Shri M. Venkaiah Naidu has greeted the people on the eve of Buddha Purnima. Following is the full text of his message -
“I extend my warm greetings and good wishes to the people of our country and beyond on the auspicious occasion of ‘Buddha Purnima’.
One of the most illustrious spiritual leaders of the world, Lord Buddha preached the most profound truths. His teachings were aimed at finding the root cause of our sorrows and liberating the sentient beings from suffering.
Undoubtedly, Bhagwan Buddha and his ‘Dhamma’ are an eternal source of light, guiding us on the path of morality, contentment and happiness.
On this happy occasion, let us commit ourselves to follow the principles of universal love, compassion and equality as shown by Lord Buddha – ‘The Enlightened One’.”
Following is the Hindi version of the message –
“मैं 'बुद्ध पूर्णिमा' के पावन अवसर पर अपने देशवासियों को हार्दिक बधाई और शुभकामनाएं देता हूं।
विश्व के महानतम आध्यात्मिक गुरुओं में से एक भगवान बुद्ध ने गहनतम सत्यों का उपदेश दिया।उनकी शिक्षाओं का लक्ष्य हमारे दु:खों के मूल कारण की खोज करना और सचेतन लोगों को दु:खों से मुक्त करना था।
नि:संदेह, भगवान बुद्ध और उनका 'धम्म' प्रकाश का शाश्वत स्रोत है, जो नैतिकता, संतोष और आनंद के मार्ग पर हमारा मार्गदर्शन करता है।
आइए, हम इस शुभ अवसर पर भगवान बुद्ध द्वारा दिखाए गए सार्वभौमिक मैत्री, करुणा और समानता के सिद्धांतों पर चलने हेतु अपनी प्रतिबद्धता जताएँ।”
Special Service and Features
Seizure of 1999 grams of Narcotic Substances  worth ₹4 Crores by Chennai Air Customs
Chennai Air Customs Officers intercepted a male Passenger named Shri KouadioAdingra Emmanuel Nguettiawho arrived from Abidjan via ADDIS ABABA by Ethiopian Airlines Flight number ET934/ET692 on 21.05.2023. During the examination of his baggage Amphetamine  was found concealed underneath the false bottom inside the stroller suitcase which resulted in the recovery of 1999 grams of Amphetamine worth Rs. 4 Crores, which was seized under the Customs Act, 1962. The passenger has been arrested.
Further investigations under progress according to a press release issued by M.Mathew Jolly, Pr,Commissioner of Customs, Chennai International Airport.
Prime Minister's Office
PM condoles passing away of former Indian Army Chief General S F Rodrigues
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed deep grief over the passing away of former Indian Army Chief General S F Rodrigues.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said;
"Anguished by the passing away of General S F Rodrigues. The nation will remain indebted to him for his exceptional service and contribution towards making India stronger. He was respected for his deep strategic knowledge. My thoughts are with his family and friends. RIP."
Ministry of Chemicals and Fertilizers
Availability and affordability of fertilizers
Post Covid-19 outbreak, keeping in view the field demand of various fertilizers, the following steps were taken:
 DoF was in regular touch with the states/UT, the fertilizers companies, Ministry of Home Affairs and Ministry of Railways so as to ensure timely redressal of issues related to supply chain and thereby ensuring smooth supply of fertilizers.
 DoF has been closely monitoring the availability of fertilizers in all the States through on-line web based monitoring system called Integrated Fertilizer Monitoring System . The required relaxations for Fertilizer production, movement were sought timely from MHA and those were addressed on priority basis. Similarly, Ministry of Railways was conveyed the sensitivity involved for ensuring timely availability of fertilizers to the farmers and the same was addressed on real time basis.
 From April’20 to January’21 nearly 2214 additional Railway rakes were deployed  to timely transport the fertilizers to various corners of the country.
 The gap between the assessed requirement and estimated production of urea, has been met through imports, which have been done timely, so as to ensure sufficient availability across the country.
 Throughout there has been close monitoring of movement and availability of all the fertilizers through real time coordination with State Governments/Fertilizer companies/Railways etc.
Thus, with the steps as indicated above, Department of Fertilizers has beenable to ensures availability of fertilizers at the State level. The distribution within the state is the mandate of the respective State Governments.
The information was given by the Union Minister for Education Ministry, Shri D. V. Sadananda Gowda in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.
Ministry of Road Transport & Highways
Shri Nitin Gadkari says joint projects with Japan will be undertaken for a massive digital transformation in the areas of Intelligent Transport Systems , and eco-friendly mobility
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Shri Nitin Gadkari reiterated India's intense support towards cooperation with Japan in the sector of highways development, administration, and monitoring with the implementation of digital technology-enabled ITS services in his interaction with the Japanese Delegation led by Mr. Koichi Hagiuda and Shri Hiroshi Suzuki .
Shri Gadkari said the Indo-Japan Joint Working Group  will function together providing the best road infrastructure for commuters and freight movement and helping India achieve its sustainable transport goals. He said joint projects will be undertaken for a massive digital transformation in the areas of Intelligent Transport Systems , and eco-friendly mobility.
The Minister said under the leadership of Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi India has always placed the Indo-Pacific at the heart of its engagement with the countries of Southeast and East Asia vide India's Act East Policy.
Prime Minister's Office
PM to chair meeting of CSIR Society on 4th June
Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi will chair the meeting of the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research  Society on 4th June 2021 at 11 AM via video conferencing. The Union Minister for Science & Technology will also be present on the occasion.
The Society is part of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research under the Ministry of Science & Technology. Its activities are carried out through 37 laboratories and 39 outreach centres spread across India. Eminent scientists, industrialists, and senior officials of Scientific Ministries form part of the Society, which meets annually.
Ministry of Coal
ULIP Integration with Digital Systems of Coal Ministry kicks off
ULIP to Add Value to Coal Logistics for making Informed Decisions - Coal Secretary
Shri Amrit Lal Meena, Secretary, Ministry of Coal chaired a meeting on the integration of Unified Logistics Interface Platform  with the digital systems of the Ministry of Coal here today. The meeting was also attended by senior officials of the Ministry , Chairman, Coal India Limited, senior officials of SCCL, NLCIL and MCL. A detailed presentation on the ULIP portal was given by NICDC team.
ULIP has emerged as a digital gateway for the logistics ecosystem to access data available with various Govt. systems for track/trace, authentication, document digitization, process automation as well as discovery services. At present 33 systems from seven ministries are integrated through 106 APIs covering more than 1600 data fields for usage by the stakeholders.
Speaking during the meeting, Secretary, Coal stated “ULIP will add value to coal logistics by increasing visibility and transparency across coal movement and will help in taking informed decisions. We will identify the digital initiatives which can be taken up under ULIP and prepare a roadmap for its implementation”.
ULIP has a dedicated portal that makes the process of data request simpler, faster, and transparent. The portal can be accessed through “https://goulip.in/”. Within seven months of its launch in September 2022 by the Prime Minister, ULIP portal- Goulip.in has received registration from over 490 industry players with the willingness to access data through ULIP, out of which 76 private players have already signed NDA, taking the benefits of ULIP. Over 30 applications by these private players have already been developed and are utilising the data through ULIP.
Secretary, Coal directed the coal companies to identify the problems/pain points which they are currently facing and try to workout a solution through ULIP integration. He further urged the ULIP team to visit the coal mines for better understanding.
Prime Minister's Office
PM to launch Swachhata Hi Seva movement on September 15th
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi, will launch the Swachhata Hi Seva movement from September 15th.
As part of an elaborate launch event for this fortnight long movement, the Prime Minister will interact with a cross-section of people from 18 locations across the country, via video conferencing. The people with whom PM will interact include school-children, jawans, spiritual leaders, members of milk and agricultural cooperatives, media persons, local government representatives, railway employees, Self Help Groups, and Swachhagrahis, among others.
The Swachhata Hi Seva movement, which aims at generating greater public participation towards Swachhta, is being organized in the run up to the fourth anniversary of the Swachh Bharat Mission, on October 2nd, 2018, which will also mark the commencement of the 150th year celebrations of Mahatma Gandhi.
Earlier, describing this movement as “a great way to pay tributes to Bapu,” the Prime Minister, in a video message to the people, had exhorted people to be “part of this movement and strengthen the efforts to create a Swachh Bharat.”
Ministry of Finance
White Label ATMs  to drive ATM penetration in India with a greater focus on Tier III to VI centres
The Reserve Bank of India  has apprised that in order to drive ATM penetration in the country with a greater focus on Tier III to VI centres, non-bank companies have been permitted to set up, own and operate White Label ATMs  in the country. This was stated by Union Minister of State for Finance Dr Bhagwat Kisanrao Karad in a written reply to a question in Rajya Sabha today.
The Minister stated that WLAs provide banking services to the customers of banks in India, based on the cards  issued by banks. In addition to dispensing cash, WLAs may offer many other services / facilities which inter-alia include:
-
- Account Information
- Cash Deposit
- Regular Bill Payment
- Mini / Short Statement Generation
- PIN Change
- Request for Cheque Book
The Minister stated the steps taken for increasing presence of WLAs and for improving their viability and functioning, inter-alia ,are as under:
-
- RBI, vide its circular dated December 30, 2016, has allowed White Label ATM Operators  to source cash from retail outlets to address the cash sourcing constraints.
- To further give impetus to WLA deployment and to encourage more non-bank players to enter ATMs industry, RBI, vide its circular dated March 7, 2019, have permitted WLAOs to  buy wholesale cash, above a threshold directly from the Reserve Bank  and Currency Chests,  source cash from any scheduled bank, including Cooperative Banks and Regional Rural Banks,  offer bill payment and Interoperable Cash Deposit services,  display advertisements pertaining to non- financial products / services, and in addition,  banks are permitted to issue co-branded ATM cards in partnership with the authorised WLAOs and extend the benefit of ‘on-us’ transactions to WLAs as well.
- RBI, vide press release dated October 15, 2019 has enabled on-tap authorisation for WLAs.
The Minister further stated that four authorised non-bank entities are operating White Label ATMs in the country.
Giving more information, the Minister state that Consumer Education and Protection Department of RBI has informed that 98 complaints have been received against WLAs from April 01, 2022 to June 30, 2023. Such complaints fall under the purview of Consumer Education and Protection Cells  of RBI. CEPCs examine each complaint based on the merits of the case, documentary evidence available and the comments received from the Regulated Entity  and its adherence to the extant regulatory guidelines.
PIB Headquarters
Special Passport Mela at Vellore on January 16th Due to Public Demand
Regional Passport Office, Chennai will be holding ‘Special Passport Mela’ on Saturday the January 20th 2018 at Post Office Passport Seva Kendra , Vellore. The mela is being conducted to meet the public demand and to facilitate submission of applications for the frequent travelers due to extended time in getting appointments.
Post Office Passport Seva Kendra, at Vellore will function on Saturday the January 20th 2018 like any other normal working day and accept applications as per time slots allotted to the applicants. Approximately 120 applicants are expected to be benefitted from this Mela.
To participate in this Passport Mela, all applicants have to log on to the official website ‘www.passportindia.gov.in’, register on-line, generate ‘ARN’ , and pay online fees and then fix an appointment. Applicants participating in the mela should bring the print-out of ARN with appointment derails, to the POPSK along with the requisite documents in originals, plus one set of self attested photocopies. Applications under fresh and Re-issue categories only will be accepted.
The appointments will be released online on 17th January 2018  at 1430 hrs for the mela to take place on Saturday, 20th January 2018. On the day of mela, applications will be accepted only as per the time slot allotted to them. Applications for PCCs, Walk-ins including On-Hold and Refused Tokens will not be entertained during the Mela.
RCN
(
Ministry of Agriculture &
Farmers Welfare
Union Agriculture Minister Sh. Narendra Singh Tomar inaugurates National Horticulture Board Centre at Gwalior
Centre of NHB at Gwalior will boost horticulture in the region, will benefit 21 districts of Northern Madhya Pradesh
Multi-dimensional efforts being made by Centre for agricultural development and Farmer's benefit- Sh. Tomar
Taking forward the activities and programmes of National Horticulture Board, Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare, Government of India opened centre in the state of Madhya Pradesh. Sh. Narendra Singh Tomar, Union Minister of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare inaugurated the new Centre of National Horticulture Board  at Gwalior.
NHB, which is mandated for integrated development of hi-tech commercial horticulture and post-harvest management/cold chain infrastructure in the country, is having centers/offices at various locations of the country and atleast one centre is there almost in each state for implementation, monitoring and coordination of its various Schemes and activities. Some of the bigger states like UP and Maharashtra are having more than one centre due to their geography and higher quantum of work.
Madhya Pradesh, which is the second largest state in the Country, is rapidly diversifying into horticulture sector for the last few years. It is the third largest producers of vegetables in the country and 5th largest producers in Fruits.
Speaking on the occasion, Sh. Tomar said, “The horticulture segment has become the sunrise sector for MP. Gwalior Division of Madhya Pradesh is geographically located in Northern part of the State. Gwalior and Chambal divisions correspond to the Gird region of Madhya Pradesh.”
Given the huge potential of horticulture in the State of Madhya Pradesh, the new Centre of National Horticulture Board will play a significant role in boosting development of horticulture in this region. With the opening of new Centre of NHB at Gwalior, farmers of not only in the Gwalior Division but also from 21 districts of Northern Madhya Pradesh including Grid region of Gwalior and Chambal will be benefited under the Schemes of National Horticulture Board.
The agriculture minister also added, “As of now National Horticulture Board had only one Centre in Madhya Pradesh at Bhopal. However, keeping in view the huge geographical area of the State and physical distances of several districts and areas from Bhopal, farmers usually find it very difficult to avail the benefits of the schemes of NHB and technical guidance with respect to latest development in horticulture sector.”
Madhya Pradesh Food Processing Minister  Sh. Bharat Singh Kushwaha and Gwalior MP, Sh. Vivek Narayan Shejwalkar, thanked the union agriculture minister for opening NHB centre in the Gwalior region.
The event was also attended by Jila Panchayat Chairman Smt. Manisha Yadav, local representatives and farmers. MD of NAFED Sh. Sanjiv Chadha, MD of NHB Sh. Rajbir Singh, Union Agriculture Secretary Sh. Sanjay Agarwal along with other officials virtually joined the event.
Ministry of Home Affairs
Union Home Minister to inaugurate the ‘Conference on Combating Drug Trafficking’ for BIMSTEC Partner Nations, in New Delhi tomorrow
Union Minister for Home Affairs, Shri Amit Shah would be inaugurating the two-day ‘Conference on Combating Drug Trafficking’ for BIMSTEC  Partner Nations, in New Delhi tomorrow.
In pursuance of the commitment of Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi during the 4th BIMSTEC summit held at Kathmandu in 2018, Narcotics Control Bureau  is organizing the conference. It is believed that this platform will provide the opportunity to all the member nations to deliberate on the increased threats posed by drug trafficking and the collective steps that are required to negate the threats by learning from the best practices adopted by member countries. Delegations from each BIMSTEC Nation have been invited to participate in the conference. Further, various Central and State drug law enforcement agencies of India and other stakeholders have also been invited.
In the changing drug trafficking scenario, Asian countries are increasingly being affected by drug trafficking and BIMSTEC, being the key link between South Asian and South East Asian Nations is one of the most effective platforms to tackle this global threat. The BIMSTEC is a regional organization comprising seven Member States lying in the littoral and adjacent areas of the Bay of Bengal i.e. Bangladesh, Bhutan, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand besides India, constituting a contiguous regional unity.
Regional maritime connectivity and trade through the Bay of Bengal are imperative for the shared prosperity and economic growth of the entire BIMSTEC region. However, while providing unhindered maritime access, security challenges at sea and coastlines are a threat. One of the most prominent of such challenges is the drug trafficking through sea. It necessitates collaborative efforts at sea, including further strengthening of effective coordination in operations and information sharing amongst partner nations, to combat this menace. The recent seizures of Methamphetamine  by NCB establish the fact that Bay of Bengal region is impegnerated with the drug trafficking menace.
NCB is the apex agency for exercising powers and functions of the Central Government under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances  Act and is also the nodal agency for matters pertaining to drug law enforcement in India. It coordinates and actions taken by various agencies of Central and State Governments related to drug law enforcement in the country and matters pertaining to drug abuse. Further, NCB is also the nodal agency of the Government of India at the international level in all matters pertaining to Narcotic Drugs & Psychotropic Substances.
Ministry of Coal
Day -1 of Commercial Coal Mine Auction – 4th Tranche
Four Fully Explored Coal Mines of Jharkhand, Maharashtra and Odisha Put up For Auction
Combined Coal Reserve Comes to 498.10 Million Ton
[14th TRANCHE OF AUCTION UNDER THE COAL MINES  ACT, 2015]
[4thTRANCHE OF AUCTION UNDER THE MINES AND MINERALS  ACT, 1957]
Ministry of Coal had launched the auction of coal mines for commercial mining under 14th Tranche of CMSP Act and 4th Tranche of MMDR Act on December 16, 2021. On the 1stday of the e-auction, four coal mines were put up for auction and the details of the mines are as under: -
- All four coal mines are fully explored coal mines
- The total geological reserves for these coal mines are 498.10 Million Tonnes.
- Cumulative PRC for these coal mines is 10.76 MT per year.
The results for Day 1 are as under:
|
|
S. No.
|
|
Name of the Mine
|
|
State
|
|
PRC 
|
|
Geological Reserves 
|
|
Closing Bid Submitted by
|
|
Reserve Price 
|
|
Final Offer 
|
|
1
|
|
Rabodih OCP
|
|
Jharkhand
|
|
2.50
|
|
133.17
|
|
Twenty First Century Mining Private Limited / 242211
|
|
4.00
|
|
6.00
|
|
2
|
|
Chinora
|
|
Maharashtra
|
|
0.256
|
|
17.85
|
|
BS Ispat Ltd / 64979
|
|
4.00
|
|
53.00
|
|
3-4
|
|
Utkal B1 & Utkal B2
|
|
Odisha
|
|
8.00
|
|
347.08
|
|
Jindal Steel and Power Limited / 64898
|
|
4.00
|
|
15.25
.
Special Service and Features
Reserve Bank of India, Chennai had organised a ‘Cyclathon’ and ‘Walkathon”
Reserve Bank of India, Chennai had organised a ‘Cyclathon’ and ‘Walkathon” Event with the participation of their staff on February 18, 2023 in Besant Nagar Beach, in connection with the observance of Financial Literacy Week from February 13 to 17, 2023 with the objective of disseminating financial awareness messages to the public. The theme of the Financial Literacy Week 2023 is “Good Financial Behaviour - Your Saviour” with emphasis on “Savings, planning and budgeting” and “Prudent use of digital financial services”.
Smt Uma Sankar, Chief General Manager, Reserve Bank of India, Chennai flagged off the event. Nearly 150 staff members participated in the Cyclathon and Walkathon event, carrying placards and distributing pamphlets carrying messages of financial awareness. The event was successful in disseminating the financial awareness messages to the public. Further, RBI is also undertaking a centralized mass media campaign during this month to broadcast essential financial awareness messages on the theme, with the vision of creating a financially aware and empowered India.
Prime Minister's Office
PM meets Smt Uma Suchdeva w/o Colonel  HK Suchdeva
The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi met Smt Uma Suchdeva. The 90 year old, presented copies of 3 books penned by her late husband, Colonel  HK Suchdeva to the Prime Minister.
In a series of tweets, the Prime Minister said;
"Today I had a memorable interaction with Smt. Uma Suchdeva Ji. She is 90 years old and is blessed with great vigour and a spirit of optimism. Her husband, Colonel  HK Suchdeva was a widely respected veteran. Uma Ji is the aunt of General @Vedmalik1 Ji."
"Uma Ji gave me copies of 3 books penned by her late husband. Two of them are associated with the Gita and the third one titled 'Blood and Tears' is a moving account of Col  HK Suchdeva's experiences during the traumatic period of Partition and its impact on his life."
"We discussed India’s decision to mark 14th August as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day as a tribute to those who suffered due to Partition, built their lives from scratch and contributed to national progress. They epitomise human resilience and fortitude."
Ministry of Tourism
Ministry of Tourism has started Destination Based Skill Development training programme at 7 iconic sites to train, upgrade & sensitize local people residing near these tourism sites and destinations: Shri G. Kishan Reddy
The Ministry of Tourism started the Destination Based Skill Development training programme at 7 iconic sites i.e. Taj Mahal at Agra, Humayun Tomb, Red Fort, Qutub Minar at Delhi, Mahabodhi Temple at Bihar, Colva Beach at Goa and Kaziranga at Assam in Financial Year  2019-20 to train, upgrade and sensitize the local people residing near these tourism sites and destinations.
This programme is geared towards enhancing employability, in both rural and urban destinations and to upgrade the manpower servicing the tourism sector. This programme continued in FY 2020-21 and upscaled to more than 150 new destinations. However, due to Covid-19 pandemic this programme took place at 44 destinations. This programme is continued during the current FY 2021-22. So far, this programme has taken place at 24 destinations. Under this programme, so far, 5804 persons have been covered.
This information was given by Minister of Tourism Shri G. Kishan Reddy in a written reply in Rajya Sabha today.